gaudete sunday

4th Sunday of Lent
Vancouver, March 22, 2020
​
The city streets of Vancouver have the light and scent of Spring; cherry blossoms already open beneath blue skies. Snow covered mountains stretch across the north shore. God’s creation seems dressed for Gaudete Sunday, 4th Sunday of Lent – day of Joy.

Then, I hear about further social distancing; in the park where I drink take out coffee on a bench -- alone, I watch Vancouver workmen tape the play ground to keep children from playing together. What’s worse are the frightful pictures of panic-stricken hoarders clearing out shelves. The provincial government has yet to intervene to control hysterical shopping. If raw selfishness is not exacerbated by the imagination, the reality of a potentially deadly virus does create panic. I watched video clips of escalating deaths in China, followed by Iran. But now Italy has unveiled the highest number of deaths caused by this same Lenten coronavirus. I spoke to family and to clergy across Italy: the situation is devastating. And I cannot get the prophet Jeremiah out of my mind, “…even prophets and priests roam the country at their wits’ end.” (Jeremiah 14:18). What happened to Rome? To Italy? To the world?

Rome, where Peter and Paul were executed; Rome where the blood martyrs filled the colosseum grounds and the fields of Circus Maximus. Where the early Roman Christians withdrew and prayed at gravesites in the catacombs. The relics of martyrs, Saints Cosmas and Damien, venerated in a Roman basilica. The blood of saints that purified and relics that sanctified by the power of Christ’s redeeming blood. For Rome, for Italy, for the world, God provided us with models of faith, of courage, of holiness.

In Italy where St. Benedict founded the monastic rule in Norcia, Umbria, the contemplative life was offered. And in Umbria where Assisi gave us St. Francis who preached and taught poverty, detachment. And not far in Siena, Tuscany, city of the Dominican mystic, St. Catherine of Siena, who escorted Pope Gregory XI back to Rome. The great canonist and founder of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus of Liguori, who taught Church Law, his Redemptorist Congregation entrusted with Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In Turin, St. John Bosco founded the Salesians teaching boys to be good fathers, faithful husbands, and devout Christians. St. Padre Pio who spent his life in San Giovanni Rotondo in the Gargano of southern Italy, taught us all the value of holy Confession. And the Holy See, situated in Rome -- the Italian people and the world – at the doorsteps, to benefit from the teachings of the Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Christ, from one pontificate to the next.

Surely, God did not forget Italy! And yet, I cannot help but think of St. Luke’s Gospel, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted much, much more will be asked.” (Lk 12:48).

As the corona virus continues to spread west to the Iberian peninsula where the relics of St. James are kept, north to France, where King Clovis was baptised a Roman Catholic (496) uniting France under one faith, “the eldest daughter of the Church,” to Switzerland where St. Gall established the monastic tradition (6th century), to England and Germany where the papal expeditions under Pope Gregory I sending Augustine (597), and Gregory II authorising Boniface (723), respectively, so the Word of God could be preached to the pagans.

But what has come of Christianity? The teachings of Christ and His Church? Are we growing in sanctity? Or have we abandoned God. Becoming lukewarm? Have we created for ourselves our own god? golden calf: pleasure, power, wealth? Is it Lust that motivates us? Envy? Greed?

The virus has made its way cross the planet. People have no choice but to be distant, or isolated. The Sunday shopping and weekend pleasures that shaped our routines and lives, perhaps now can be re-examined. Are these not the readings from Ash Wednesday, “Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.” (Joel 2:12). At least, one may consider the existential question: where is my life heading?

A beautiful passage in the book of Genesis appears after the man and woman had sinned -- having disobeyed God. As they hide themselves, God looks for Adam, who was entrusted with the Garden of Eden, “Where are you?” (Gen 3:9). God permits tragic events in our life to draw us back to him. I have preached this more than once: God will find a way to call us back. We cannot go on indefinitely indifferent to God our Creator. Personally, I was not sure what to expect – or when.

Today’s Gospel from John 9 tells us precisely that what may appear as an affliction is how God will reveal His divine power: through His Son, Jesus Christ. The condition of the blind man was associated with sin in his family; but Jesus corrects his disciples telling them the man’s blindness will serve to show the greatness of God. What is perceived as by society as negative, Jesus takes as the opportunity to reveal the work of God. But the real obstacle surfaces with the Pharisees who arrogantly refused to be instructed by a man whom they regarded as nothing more than a sinner. Yet the healed man correctly replied to the Pharisees, “God listens to those who worship him and obey his will.” Having experienced Jesus’ healing power, the blind man proved to be of remarkable faith, juxtaposed to the lack of faith on the part of the Pharisees. And all this time the blind man did not know who healed him; he could not see until he washed himself in the pool of Siloam. The healed man suddenly discovers that he is in front of the one who restored his sight: Jesus. The beautiful story is one of darkness, followed by healing, and the resulting sight – leading to faith in Christ. The healed man now believed in Jesus: the one to lead him out of darkness into the light.

The joy of the 4th Sunday of Lent is that God wants us with Him. We have made time for many activities and even consumed our Sundays without God. Now we find ourselves socially distant, perhaps isolated. But God is waiting.

As the Psalmist tells us, “Every human being that stands on earth is a mere puff of wind.” (Psalm 39:5-6). In fact, our life is given to us as a gift from God to grow in love with our Creator. To discover the joy of being in communion with His Son, Jesus Christ. And to live by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, our sacramental life. God has given us much so we can be with Him, not just here on earth, but for all of eternity. While rupture from the world is brutal, and death is inevitable for each of us, we have something much greater than this world waiting for us.

We have today to prepare ourselves for Eternal Life by the daily choices we make here on earth; when we respond to God’s voice we have the hope and joy of Paradise promised to each of us.

Let us ask the Mother of our Saviour to strengthen us so we may be prepared to participate in the joy of Eternal Life.